Urinary Incontinence Part 4 of 4

Treatment Options for Stress Urinary Incontinence  

  There are several treatment options for Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) including surgical and non-surgical solutions.  Depending on the severity of your incontinence and lifestyle needs, your physician will work with you to determine the best solution.

Non surgical solutions include:  absorbent pads, diapers, pessaries, other special devices,  urethral implants, and Kegel exercises. 

Kegel exercises help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that help support the urethra and bladder during activity.  Exercising these muscles improves the tone and strength of the muscles to help close the urethra when coughing or laughing.  There are many Kegel exercises regimens, but all have one thing in common they must be done on a regular basis and indefinitely for the patient to benefit.

 Pessaries are simple plastic shapes, worn in the vagina.  A properly sized pessary can be used for incontinence to provide support beneath the urethra.  This support is needed in most stress urinary incontinence (SUI) situations.                                   

Special devices such as  urethral plugs and other devices may be available when the above strategies are unsuccessful. 

A urethral implant is an  injection into the urethra of sterilized collagen or micro-beads is directed by a telescope-like device (urethroscope) to decrease the size of the open urethra. This helps assist in the closing of the urethra during coughing or straining.  Unfortunately, more than one injection is usual.

Surgical operations are numerous to treat SUI.  

Any surgery for SUI is intended to restore support of the front vaginal wall immediately beneath the urethra. This enhances compression of the urethra against the vaginal wall. The Burch, MMK, sling, and TVT (tension-free vaginal tape) all use sutures and graft material (natural or synthetic) to provide positive outcomes as high as 95%.  These must be carefully selected for the specific type of SUI.   Your physician will discuss the best procedure for your specific condition.

Dr. Guillermo Rowe offers urinary incontinence studies in office to help determine the type and severity of incontinence.  He is also proud to offer surgical and non-surgical treatments for incontinence. Appointments are available. Contact the office at 713-795-4800.